Kel McKeown‘s ‘04 debut album as Kelpe, Sea Inside Body, was a briny ocean soundtrack filled with gentle waves of ambient and downbeat sounds. This EP expands off that blueprint of IDM, dub, chill beats, and underwater sound motifs. Truthfully, his sonic palette unfolds like a purple urchin, synthy tentacles floating and undulating in the dark. Kelpe makes charming and disconcerting mood music.
Rennie Foster Turn of Events
Canada‘s Kinnder and Japan‘s Rennie Foster represent the best of the diverse global techno scene. While Kinnder‘s (a.k.a. David Trusz) tracks range from melodic, German-style techhouse to subbass and electro-driven tribal techno, Foster puts the throttle into high gear, strips the track down to its skivvies and heads for the desert at midnight. Kinnder‘s beauty is classy electronic understatement, Foster‘s is dynamic, inexorable percussive techno. Both rule.
True Stories Crazy Girls
Here’s my pick of the issue-a leftfield pop EP that defies categories but seamlessly blends Phoebe Tolmer’s (Nouvelle Vague) emotive vocals with Nick “Boxsaga” Phillips’ nervous beats. Like the off-kilter balladry of Moloko, Tolmer weaves a mysterious, disjointed narration through foggy, nocturnal beats. Spektrum’s uptempo mix filters and flings the vocals too and fro in a frothy electrodisco mix. Essential.
Anonymous Twist Royal Flush
Rap from Canada can be a mixed bag. The brothers up north are true believers, no doubt, but sometimes this leads to overly uptight, detailed rhyming and production. Not the case here, jack! Over a beat that sounds like The Meters or The MGs circa ‘74, AT flows like Beatnuts, Show & AG or Blackalicious. Shit is mad funky. Given time and exposure, these guys could make serious international waves.
Verse/D-Bridge Solitude’s Weakness
Drum & bass is definitely on a Saturn’s return back to its tune-based musical roots. “Solitude’s Weakness” is further proof, coming in like early Adam F, J Majik, Carlito, or Intense. The straightforward mix of rolling drums, soulful vocal snippets, filtered bass and sensuous pads are smoother than a Lamborghini ride on the Autobahn.
Various Artists GRLZ:Women Ahead Of Their Time
GRLZ captures that brief phase in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s when femme-voxed post-punk boasted some of the most intriguing sounds extant. This collection excavates a fortuitous mix of rarities from unknowns like Dorothy, Jajaja, and Nicolle Meyer and highlights from slightly better known acts like The Slits, Bow Wow Wow, Rip, Rig And Panic (featuring Neneh Cherry), Delta 5, and New Age Steppers. Funk and dub are the main default modes here, with transporting basslines and distinctive vocal phrasing aplenty. GRLZ is both an invigorating memento and a relevant inspiration to a new generation of adventurous musicians of both genders.
Audion Suckfish
As Audion, Detroit‘s Matthew Dear banishes his suave-crooner persona and gets busy laying down his hardest, most extroverted and lubricious grooves. Suckfish is potent, banging techno designed for, well, banging-and for its usual prelude, dancing. DJs needing floor-filling fodder for folks who like it tough and hypnotic won‘t likely find a better full-length this year. The pinging, piston-chugging hypno-stomp “Vegetables” sets the tone for Audion‘s approach, which is reflected by Suckfish‘s dazzling Op-art cover. “Kisses” sounds like an unholy alliance between early Plastikman and Alter Ego, while the plowing grinder “Just Fucking” evokes the Voigt brothers‘ compelling monomania. The ruggedly sexy Suckfish is pure baby-making genius.
Murcof Remembranza
Former Nortec Collective member Murcof (a.k.a. Terrestre, Fernando Corona) takes minimal electronica to the conservatory. Murcof‘s 2002 debut disc, Martes, earned kudos for its lithe assemblage of glitchy textures, surgical beats and lush, neo-classical timbres. The Mexican producer effectively made holy-minimalist composers like Górecki and Pärt do the clicks‘n‘cuts jitterbug. On Remembranza, Murcof engineers a painstakingly intricate mosaic of classical/chamber- orchestral atoms into somber, haunting compositions for 21st-century ears. His sporadic beats are generally muted and skittery, with gorgeously languorous piano motifs and pathos-laden strings. Observe a master at work.
Various Artists Freeform Five:Strangest Things
The signature sounds of England’s Freeform Five are reminiscent of the likes of Prince and Parliament/Funkadelic, and those influences are quite evident on Strangest Things. But unlike the aforementioned, the enduring qualities that made P-Funk withstand time don’t exist here-the charm of Freeform Five’s pop sensibilities lasts for a minute, only to evaporate with repeated listening. The batch of choice remixes on the second CD makes up somewhat for the disappointment, as slamming versions by the likes of Mylo, Tiefschwarz, and M.A.N.D.Y. are actually marked improvements on the originals. Adventurous music lovers beware.
Rag & Bone Full Tilt
I flagged this gem down via Black Market records in London. It‘s tribal dubstep with the flavor of Horsepower‘s best tracks. Vibe to the stuttering beats, punctuated by all manner of hunted tropical forest sounds, chanting and rubber-dub basslines on “Full Tilt.” Flip for “Grenade,” which is a stabby, old school sample fest with an enormous analog bass lead-a proper 2 a.m. track.
